Latching and locking means for luggage cases and like receptacles



Jan. 24, 1967 c. s. GEHRIE 3,299,677

LATCHING AND LOCKING MEANS FOR LUGGAGE CASES AND LIKE RECEPTACLES FiledJan. 29, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 I N V ENTOR.

CHARLES S. GEHPJ E ATTORNEY Jan. 24, 1967 c. s. GEHRIE 3,299,677

LATCHING AND LOCKING MEANS FOR LUGGAGE CASES AND LIKE RECEPTACLES 5Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 29, 1965 vrwiwem &

INVENTOR. CHARLEls S. GEHRiE WMW ATTORN Y Jan. 24, 1967 c. s. GEHRlE3,299,577

LATCHING AND LOCKING MEANS FOR LUGGAGE CASES AND LIKE RECEPTACLES FiledJan. 29, 1965 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 38 as Q 21 j Pugs INVHNTOR. 88 CHARLES s.cam-mu:

A'r'roR-MELY United States Patent Ofiice 3,299,677 Patented Jan. 24,1967 3,299,677 LATCHING AND LOCKING MEANS FOR LUG- GAGE CASES AND LIKERECEPTACLES Charles S. Gehrie, Montclair, N.J., assiguor to Presto Lock(10., Inc, Garfield, N.J., a corporation of New York Filed Jan. 29,1965, Ser. No. 428,930 11 Claims. (CI. 70-69) The invention relates toreleasable latching and locking devices for luggage cases and likereceptacles, and is more particularly directed to improvements upon thedevice disclosed in Levine Patent No. 2,820,359 granted January 21,1958.

A primary object of the invention is to provide a latching and lockingdevice of the type disclosed in the aforementioned patent wherein thenumber of parts is reduced while retaining the function of the omittedparts; also, to reduce the number of operations to make the product,thereby enabling a reduction in the cost of manufacturing the product.

Pursuant to the foregoing objective, the catch plate of theaforementioned patented device, which is associated with the latchingslide plate or member, is omitted. The latching slide member is itselfconstructed to furnish the function of the omitted catch plate.Concomitantly, the cost of making the catch plate and the cost ofassembling the catch plate with the latching slide member areeliminated.

Moreover, the latching slide member, latch body and back plate of thelatching assembly are constructed to enable connection of the latchingslide member to the latch body upon merely securing the essential backplate to the latch body, thereby eliminating the separate sub-assemblyoperation of securing the latching slide member to the latch body.

Another object of the invention is to improve the spring action of thepivotally mounted hasp plate of the hasp assembly disclosed in theaforementioned patent. To realize this objective, the pivoting of thehasp plate is accomplished by cooperatively forming the hasp plate andthe hasp body in a manner which eliminates an extended pivot shaft andpermits the substitution of a lea-f spring for the coiled torsion springpositioned around a shaft as disclosed in the aforementioned patent. Asa result, a more uniform resilient pressure is exerted upon the haspplate throughout its full span of movement, a result which cannot beobtained with the coiled torsion spring and shaft arrangement disclose-din the aforementioned patent.

These, and other advantages and improved results of the invention willbe apparent from the following detailed description, taken inconjunction with the drawings illustrating a preferred embodiment of theinvention, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front view of the latching and hasp assemblies in theirunlatched condition;

FIG. 2 is a rear view of the assemblies of FIG. 1, the back plate of thelatching assembly being partially broken away for clarity inillustration;

FIG. 3 is a rear View of the latching device with the hasp assemblylatched to the latch assembly, the back plates of both the hasp andlatch assemblies being omitted in this view for clarity of illustration;

FIG. 4 is a front view of the device, the hasp assembly being latched tothe latching assembly;

FIG. 5 is a horizontal cross-sectional view taken approximately in theplane of line 5-5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken approximately in theplane of line 6-6 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a top plan view ofthe body of the latching assembly and theassociated locking bolt and spring means which are sup-ported by thebody, the related spring bearing surface and blocking lug provided bythe latching slide member being shown in phantom;

FIG. 8 is a plan view of the underside of the latching slide memberwhich is adapted to being received for longitudinal sliding movementwith respect to the body shown in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a view similar to FIG. 7, except that the locking bolt hasbeen rotated to locked position;

FIG. 10 illustrates the relationship of the latch body and latchingslide member of the latching assembly when these components are beingassembled with one another, part of the body being broken away and insection to better illustrate the manner of assembly of these two parts;and

FIG. 11 is a view similar to FIG. 10 showing the final stage of assemblyof the body and latching slide member, with such components beingsecured to one another by the essential back plate of the assembly.

Referring to the drawings, a latching device made in accordance with theinvention comprises a latching assembly A and a hasp assembly B. Thelatching assembly consists of but four components, namely a latch bodyC, a latching slide member D, a leaf spring E, and a back plate F.Where, as preferred, the latching device is also provided with means forlocking the device in latched condition, the latching assembly is alsoprovided with a locking bolt G and a key barrel H. The spring E isrelated to the latch body and latching slide member to normally urge thelatching slide member toward latched position. The spring has theadditional function of resiliently maintaining the locking bolt in itsrespective locked and unlocked positions.

The latch body C is generally rectangular in shape, and in order tofulfill its various functions most effectively with the greatest economyof manufacture, this component preferably is made by die casting. Asbest shown in FIGS. 6, 7 and 9, the latch body is formed on its top sidewith a pair of parallel, longitudinal, upstanding flanges 20, 20'extending along its sides to provide a transverse guideway 22 which isoutwardly open and open at the ends of the body. The latching slidemember D is positioned for longitudinal movement within the guideway 22.The latching slide member is also rectangular in shape and has a lengthequal to the length of the latch body C. The latching slide member has awidth slightly less than the width of the guideway 22 so that it mayslide in the guideway without interference. The latching slide member isconnected to the latch body in a manner to be subsequently described.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 9, the latch body C is provided with a cutout oropening 24 in the wall 26 which extends between the upstanding guideflanges 20, 20'. As shown in FIG. 5, the opening 24 allows a latchinglug 27 provided by the latching slide member D to extend therethroughfor exposure on the underside of the wall 26. In order to permit thelatch body to be used for right and lefthanded assemblies, the wall 26is provided with a second aperture 24.

The top surface of the latch bodys wall 26 is provided with means forlocating the leaf spring E, and for this purpose the latch body is castwith an upstanding pin portion 28 and an adjacent lug 30. The leafspring E, which is bent to the configuration shown in FIGS. 4, 7 and 9,has the bight 32 thereof looped around the pin portion 28, the bearinglug 30 for the spring being laterally spaced at short distance from thepin. For either a right or lefthanded assembly,a second pin and lugarrangement, 28', 30', is also provided. As shown in FIGS. 4, and 7-9,the long arm 34 of the spring terminates in an inward curl 36 whichbears against a shoulder 38 provided by the latching slide member D. Theother or short arm 40 of the bent leaf spring is cooperatively relatedto and in engagement with the locking bolt G, the spring being bent at41 at the bolt engaging area.

As shown in FIGS. 5, 6, 7 and 9, the wall 26 of the latch body C isprovided with a central aperture 42 to allow the end of a key (notshown) to be received therein. The aperture is flanked by opposite,laterally spaced, elongated projections 44, 44 extending upwardly fromthe wall 26. The inner sides of the projections are respectivelyconcavely shaped at 46, 46' to confine the generally circular lockingbolt G for rotation by the key.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 9, the locking bolt G is generally in the formof an annular washer having an internal, lateral projection 48 adaptedto be engaged by the tang of a key; when the key is rotated, the lockingbolt is rotated. The outer periphery of the locking bolt is formed witha lateral projection 50 to provideshould ers 52, 52 for respectiveengagement with the curved end 41 of the springs short arm 40 in therespective locked (FIG. 9) and unlocked (FIG. 7) positions of thelocking bolt.

As also shown in FIGS. 7 and 9, the'locking bolt G is provided on itsouter periphery with a second laterally extending projection 54diametrically opposite the projection 50. The projection 54 is adaptedfor engagement by a locking lug 56 provided to extend from the undersideof the latching slide member D when the locking bolt is rotated to theposition shown in FIG. 9. In such position of the locking bolt, theprojection 54 is in the path of the latching slide members locking lug56 and acts to block the movement of the latching slide member tothereby lock the latching slide member in its latched condition. Theprojections 44, 44' also furnish stops to limit the extent of rotationwhich. may be imparted to the locking bolt. Such stops are provided bythe transverse'edges of the projections, one edge 58 of which is steppedto provide a shoulder for engagement with the projection 50. A like stepportion 58"on the opposite projection 44, and the stops provided by suchopposite projection permits the same latch body to be used for right andleft-handed assemblies.

As shown in FIGS. 4, 5, 6 and 8, the latching slide member D has a wall60 which is provided with a central keyhole-shaped aperture 62 foralignment with the aperture 42 of the latch body C when the latchingslide member is in latched position. The'aperture 62 is adapted toreceive the upstanding boss portion 64 of the key barrel H. The wall 60is countersunk at to receive an annular flange 68 formed to extendaround the base of the key barrel.

As also shown in FIG. 8, the underside of the latching slide member D isprovided with the aforementioned latching lug 27 and the locking lug 56.These lugs are in transversely spaced relationship and located onopposite sides of the keyhole-shaped aperture 62. Both the latching lugand the locking lug are formed integrally with the latching slide memberwhich also is preferably made by die casting. The latching lug 27 isprovided with a nose portion 70 to facilitate its camming engagementwith a hook-like portion provided on the hasp plate of the haspassembly, as will be subsequently described.

The latch body C and the latching slide member D are cooperativelyformed to enable their secure connection to one another in a mannerpermitting the latching slide member to be moved longitudinally in theguideway 22 by the assembly of the body and sliding member and the mereconnection of the essential back plate F to the latch body. As shown inFIGS. 2, 3, 7 and 9, the latch body is provided at each of its ends withrespective pairs of slots 72, 72' and 74, 74'. The slots are formed inwalls 76, 76 which extend in a horizontal plane offset from the plane ofthe wall 26 (FIG. 5). The slots are each open to the ends of the latchbody, such opposite ends being designated 80 and 80. As shown in FIGS. 2and 3, the underside of the walls 76, 76', respectively, have integral,downwardly projecting connecting studs 82, 82' to permit securing thelatching assembly A to the wall of a luggage case shell. This isaccomplished by providing holes in the shell, extending the connectingstuds 82, 82' therethrough and heading over the ends of the studs.

The latch body is also provided with a pair of back plate connectingstuds 84, 84' cast to extend on the underside of the wall portions 76,76. As shown in: FIG. 5, the underside of the wall portions 76, 76 arerecessed at 86, 86' to accommodate the thickness of the back plate F sothat the back plate will be flush with the adjoining surfaces of thelatch body. The back plate is provided with apertures through which theback plate connecting studs 84, 84 are extended before heading over theextremities of the studs to make the connection. As shown in FIG. 2, theback plate F is of a width substantially half of the width of the latchbody. The back plate is secured to the latch body after the latchingslide member is assembled with the latch body as will be presentlydescribed.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 8, the latching slide member is provided atopposite ends with vertical end walls 88, 88' which project downwardlyfrom the wall 60. The end wall 88 is of greater thickness than the wall88' so that its inner surface may provide the aforementioned verticallyextending bearing shoulder 38 for the spring E at the desired spatiallocation. Each end wall is respectively provided with a pair of lateralprojections 90, 90' and 92, 92'. With the locking bolt G positionedbetween the confining projections 44, 44 and the spring E related to thelocking bolt as shown in FIG. 7, the key barrel is placed upon thelocking bolt. Then, the lateral projections 90, 90' of the locking slidemember are aligned with the slots 72, 72' of the latch body C. The latching slide member, with the end 36 of the spring bearing against theshoulder 38, is moved to the right until movement of the latching slidemember is stopped by the pro jections 90, 90' engaging the bases or endsof the slots 72', 72. At this point, and with the latching slide memberpositioned in the trackway 22, the lateral projections 92, 92' at theopposite end of the latching slide member, clear the end 80' of thelatch body as shown in FIG. 10. The projections 92, 92' are in alignmentwith the slots 74, 74' so that when the force urging the latching slidemember to the right is released, the spring E causes the projections 92,92' to enter the slots 74, 74'. To complete the assembly, the back plateF is positioned in the recesses 86, 86' on the rear face of the latchbody and secured to the latch body by swaging over the ends of theconnecting studs 84, 84.

As shown in FIG. 11, the back plate F is provided with inturned tangs94, 94' located on the back plate to enter the slots 72 and 74 onopposite sides of the latch body. The back plate tangs are positionedintermediate the bases of the slots 72 and 74 and the projections 90 and92 respectively positioned in the slots. The distance between the backplate tangs 94 and 94 is selected so that they are respectively engagedby the projections 90 and 92 depending upon whether the latching slidemember is moved to the right orleft. In-either event, the ends 80, 80'of the latch body now cannot be cleared by the projections 90, 90' and92, 92' so that the latching slide member cannot be separated from thelatch body, though the latching slide member may be manually urged inthe direction of the arrow (FIG. 1) toward unlatched position againstthe force of the spring B.

As shown in FIG. 6, the latch body is formed at the top and on the rearside of the wall 26 with a diverging or camming surface 96. Such surfaceis in communication with a longitudinally extending slot 98 (FIG. 2)extending along the top transverse edge of the latch body to allow entryof a hasp plate in an area between the underside of the latch body wall26 and the black plate F. Such area, designated 99, is shown in FIGS. 5and 6. Thus, the latch body is upwardly open to allow entry of a haspplate to the concealed latching lug 27 on the underside of the latchbody.

As shown in FIGS. 2, 3 4 and 6, the hasp assembly B comprises a haspbody I, a hasp plate I pivotally mounted with respect to the hasp body,a leaf spring K for normally urging the hasp plate to unlatchcedposition, and a back plate L. The hasp body which preferably is made bydie casting, is provided with a pair of integrally formed, verticallyextending connecting studs 100, 100' for securing the hasp assembly toan aligned opposing shell or lid of a luggage case for cooperation withthe latching assembly A. The connecting studs are extended throughapertures formed in a shell or the like and headed over to secure thehasp assembly thereto.

The hasp body I is provided at its lower side with an integrally formeddowel 102 which is adapted to engage the inclined surface 96 of thelatch body, thereby assuring their proper relationship when the haspassembly and the latching assembly are brought together. The hasp bodyis provided with a central, rearwardly extending stop stud 104immediately above the dowel 102, this stop stud also affording means forconnecting the back plate L to the hasp body. As shown in FIG. 2, thehasp body is formed to provide a downwardly extending opening 106 on therear face thereof adjacent the dowel 102 to allow movement of the haspplate I downwardly into the opening 99 in the latching assembly.

The hasp plate I is pivotally and resiliently mounted upon the hasp bodyI for vertical swinging movement with respect to the hasp body and intoand out of latching assembly where the hasp plate may directly coactwith the latching lug 27 constituting an integral part of the latchingslide member D. As shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, the hasp body is cast witha substantially semi-circular bearing recess or fulcrum 108 which isadapted to receive a mating pivot 110 formed as an integral part of thehasp plate I. In order that the same hasp body may be used for right andleft-handed assemblies, the hasp body is cast on its opposite side witha second fulcrum portion 108'. The hasp plate I has a slot 112 extendingtherethrough, the lower end of which bears against the stud 104 in theextreme up position of the hasp plate as shown in FIG. 2.

The hasp plate is normally urged toward its uppermost or unlatchedposition (FIGS. 1 and 2) by the leaf spring K which is secured at oneend 114 to the hasp body I and has its opposite end 116 bearing againsta surface provided by the hasp plate. As shown in FIG. 3, the hasp bodyI is formed on its rear face with an upstanding projection which isslotted at 118 to receive the end 114 of the leaf spring. The leafspring which is generally U-shape-d has the bight thereof extendingaround a similar projection transversely spaced from the projectionproviding the slot 118. This second projection is also slotted at 118'to permit mounting of the spring in an opposite direction for a haspplate of different hand. The upper transversely extending side of thehasp body is slotted at 115 (also 115') to allow the second arm of thespring, which provides the opposite end 116, to reach and bear againstthe underside of an external finger piece 120. The finger piece is madeas an integral part of the hasp plate I, there being a horizontalconnecting portion between it and the main body portion of the haspplate. The spring end 116 bears against the underside of the connectinghorizontal portion. The finger piece enables the hasp plate to bemanually manipulated or pressed downwardly against the action of thespring when the hasp assembly is to be connected to the latchingassembly.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the arcuate free end of the hasp plate I isprovided at its lower end with a forwardly projecting hook portion 122which, when the hasp plate enters the opening 99 of the latchingassembly, engages the nose of the latching lug 27 on the latching slidemember D. The hasp plate is formed adjacent the hook 122 so thatpressure of the hasp plate on the latching lug causes it, together withthe latching slide member of which it is a part, to be retracted againstthe resilient pressure provided by the spring E. When the leading edgeof the hook 122 passes over the nose portion 70, the latching lugautomatically springs back into the notch provided by the hook, and thehasp plate is latched to the latching slide member. Manual pressure uponthe latching slide member in the direction of the arrow, designated y inFIG. 1, unhooks the hasp plate from the latching slide member causingthe hasp plate to assume the position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

The hasp assembly is completed by placing the back plate L into a recesscast at the rear sides of the hasp body. As shown in FIG. 6, the backplate L has a central opening through which the end of the stud 104 isextended and then headed over to complete the connection. As shown inFIG. 2, the edges of the back plate are confined so that the back plateis immobilized by the single connecting stud 104. The back plate closelyoverlies pivot 110 to maintain the same within the fulcrum recess 108.

The described pivotal arrangement of the hasp plate I and the hasp bodyI, and the relationship of the leaf spring K connected to the hasp bodyand to the hasp plate as described, furnishes a smooth resilient actionfor the movement of the hasp plate throughout its span of arcuaterotation from its unlatched position, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, to itslatched position, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

It is believed that the advantages and improved results afforded by theminimal number of components, together with the minimal number ofoperations involved in assembling the components to furnish the latchingand locking device of the invention, will be apparent from the foregoingdetailed description. Various changes and modifications may be madewithout departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as soughtto be defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A latching assembly coopera=ble with a hasp assembly having amanipulatable, pivotally and resiliently mounted hasp plate, saidlatching assembly comprising a latch body, the outer face of the latchbody having an outwardly and end-wise open transverse guideway, armanipulatable latching slide member connected to the latch body andlongitudinally movable in said guideway, a latching lug integral withthe latching slide member extending from the underside thereof, anaperture in said latch body, said latching lug extending through theaperture and exposed on the underside of the latch body, spring meansintermediate the latch body and the latching slide member to resilientlyurge the latching slide member to latched position, and a back plateconnected body connects the latching slide member to the latch body forlongitudinal movement of the latching slide member in the guidewayprovided by the latch body.

3. A latching assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein the latch bodyis provided with slot means at each end thereof extending parallel tosaid guideway; wherein the latching slide member is provided at each endthereof with projecting means received in said slot means; wherein theback plate is provided with tangs received in said slot means to limitthe extent of longitudinal movement of the latching slide member in saidguideway; and wherein the connection of the back plate to the latch bodyalso connects the latching slide member to the latch body.

4. A latching assembly as set 'forth in claim 1, wherein the springmeans is a bent leaf spring, said latch body having spaced, integralmeans for confining a locking bolt, an annular locking bolt mountedintermediate said spaced means for rotation between locked and unlockedpositions, said bent leaf spring having one arm in engagement with meansprovided by the latching slide member, the bight of the spring being inengagement with means provided by the latch body, the other arm of thespring being in engagement with means provided by the locking bolt toresiliently maintain the locking bolt in its respective locked andunlocked positions, a locking lug extending from the underside of thelatching slide member cooperable with means provided by the locking boltto prevent movement of the latching slide member with respect to thelatch body, and a key barrel overlying the locking bolt, said key barrelhaving a portion thereof extending through an opening provided in thelatching slide member.

5. A hasp assembly cooperable with a latching assembly, said haspassembly comprising a hasp body having .a substantially semi-circularrecess formed in the rear face thereof, a projection on the rear face ofthe hasp body, said projection having a slot, a manipulatable hasp platehaving means for cooperation with the latching as-, sembly, said haspplate having a pivot portion matingly received in said recess to providea pivoted connection, an external finger piece integrally connected tothe hasp plate by a horizontally connecting portion, a leaf springintermediate the hasp body and the hasp plate normally urging the haspplate to its raised, unlatched position about said pivoted connection,said leaf spring having one end thereof in said slot, the other end ofthe spring bearing against the underside of said horizontally connectingportion, and a back plate connected to the underside of the hasp body,said back plate overlying said pivot portion to maintain the pivotportion in said recess.

6. A latching device for a luggage case or the like comprising alatching assembly cooperable with a hasp assembly, said latchingassembly comprising a latch body, the outer face of the latch bodyhaving an outwardly and end-wise open, transverse guideway, amanipulatable latching slide member connected to the latch body andlongitudinally movable in said guideway, a latching lug integral withthe latching slide member extending from the underside thereof, anaperture in said latch body, said latching lug extending through theaperture and exposed on the underside of the latch body, spring meansintermediate the latch body and the latching slide member to resilientlyurge the latching slide'member to latched position, a back plateconnected to the underside of the latch body, said back plate and theunderside of the latch body providing an intermediate opening for entryof a hasp plate, said hasp assembly comprising a hasp body having asubstantially semi-circular recess formed in the rear face thereof, .amanipulatable hasp plate having means for directly engaging saidlatching lug upon entry of the hasp plate into said intermediateopening, said hasp plate having a pivot portion matingly received springintermediate said hasp body and said hasp plate -.in..s-aid..recessto...provide a pivoted-connection, a leaf normally urging the hasp plateto its raised, unlatched position about said pivoted connection, and aback plate connected to the underside of the hasp body, said back plateoverlying said pivot portion to maintain the pivot portion in saidrecess.

7. A latching device as set forth in claim 6, wherein the latch body,latching slide member and back plate are provided with cooperative meanswhereby the connection of the back plate to the underside of the latchbody connects the latching slide member to the latch body forlongitudinal movement of the latching slide member in the guidewayprovided by the latch body.

8. A latching device as set forth in claim 6, wherein the latch body isprovided with slot means at each end thereof extending parallel to saidguideway; wherein the latching slide member is provided at each endthereof with projecting means received in said slot means; wherein theback plate is provided with tangs received in said slot means to limitthe extent of longitudinal movement of the latching slide member in saidguideway; and wherein the connection of the back plate to the latch bodyalso connects the latching slide member to the latch body.

9. A latching device as set forth in claim 6, wherein the latchingassembly spring means is a bent leaf spring, said latch body havingspaced, integral means for confining a locking bolt, an annular lockingbolt mounted intermediate said spaced means for rotation between lockedand unlocked positions, said bent leaf spring having one arm inengagement with means provided by the latching slide member, the bightof the spring being in engagement with means provided by the latch body,the other arm of the spring being in engagement with means provided bythe locking bolt to resiliently maintain the locking bolt in itsrespective locked and unlocked positions, a locking lug extending fromthe underside of the latching slide member cooperable with meansprovided by the locking bolt to prevent movement of the latching slidemember with respect to the latch body, and a key barrel overlying thelocking bolt, said key barrel having a portion thereof extending throughan opening provided in the latching slide member.

10. A latching device as set forth in claim 6, wherein the hasp body isformed on its rear face with a slotted projection; wherein the haspplate has an external finger piece integrally connected to the haspplate by a horizontal connecting portion; and wherein the leaf springhas one end thereof in the slot of the projection and its other endbearing against the underside of said horizontal connecting portion.

11. A latching device as set forth in claim 6, wherein the latch body isprovided with slot means at each end thereof extending parallel to saidguideway; wherein the latching slide member is provided at each endthereof with projecting means received in said slot means; wherein theback plate is provided with tangs received in said slot means to limitthe extent of longitudinal movement of the latching slide member in saidguideway; wherein the connection of the back plate to the latch bodyalso connects the latching slide member to the latch body; wherein thelatching assembly spring means is a bent leaf spring, said latch bodyhaving spaced, integral means for confining a locking bolt, an annularlocking bolt mounted intermediate said spaced means for rotation betweenlocked and unlocked positions, said bent leaf spring having one arm inengagement with means provided by the latching slide member, the bightof the spring being in engagement with means provided by the latch body,the other arm of the spring being in engagement with means provided bythe locking bolt to resiliently maintain the locking bolt in itsrespective locked and unlocked positions, a locking lug extending fromthe underside of the latching slide member cooperable with meansprovided by the locking bolt to prevent movement of the latching slidemember locking bolt, said key barrel having a portion thereof extendingthrough an opening provided in the latching slide member; wherein thehasp body is formed on its rear face'wilth -a slotted projection;wherein the hasp plate rnal finger piece integrally connected to thehemp platefiby a horizontal connecting portion; and wherein the haspassembly leaf spring has one end thereof in the slot .of the projectionand its other end bearing against the underside of said horizontalconnecting portion.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS Mark et al 292-2515 X' Levine 7069 X Levine 7069 Eskridge et a1 16172 Garmon et al.70-70 BOBBY R. GAY, Primary Examiner.

1. A LATCHING ASSEMBLY COOPERABLE WITH A HASP ASSEMBLY HAVING AMANIPULATABLE, PIVOTALLY AND RESILIENTLY MOUNTED HASP PLATE, SAIDLATCHING ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A LATCH BODY, THE OUTER FACE OF THE LATCHBODY HAVING AN OUTWARDLY AND END-WISE OPEN TRANSVERSE GUIDEWAY, AMANIPULATABLE LATCHING SLIDE MEMBER CONNECTED TO THE LATCH BODY ANDLONGITUDINALLY MOVABLE IN SAID GUIDEWAY, A LATCHING LUG INTEGRAL WITHTHE LATCHING SLIDE MEMBER EXTENDING FROM THE UNDERSIDE THEREOF, ANAPERTURE IN SAID LATCH BODY, SAID LATCHING LUG EXTENDING THROUGH THEAPERTURE AND EXPOSED ON THE UNDERSIDE OF THE LATCH BODY, SPRING MEANSINTERMEDIATE THE LATCH BODY AND THE LATCHING SLIDE MEMBER TO RESILIENTLYURGE THE LATCHING SLIDE MEMBER TO LATCHED POSITION, AND A BACK PLATECONNECTED TO THE UNDERSIDE OF THE LATCH BODY, SAID BACK PLATE AND THEUNDERSIDE OF THE LATCH BODY PROVIDING AN INTERMEDIATE OPENING FOR ENTRYOF A HASP PLATE TO DIRECTLY ENGAGE SAID LATCHING LUG.